International response to the Chornobyl disaster (04/21/96)

International response to the Chornobyl disaster

Opening remarks by the permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, Ambassador Anatoliy M. Zlenko at the conference "Chornobyl: 10 years after." The remarks were delivered on April 8 at Yale University.

Ten years ago the world suddenly realized where my state - Ukraine - is located. Unfortunately, this enormous and unexpected interest was instigated by a tragic event whose scope and consequences became known to the Ukrainian people - and we see in this yet another tragedy - only months, and even years, later.

On April 26, 1996, the people of Ukraine will mourn thousands of dead and ill 10 years after the Chornobyl disaster. Statistics are merciless. A total of 3.5 million people, nearly one-third of them children, were affected by disaster when the so-called "peaceful atom" went wild. More than 160,000 people were resettled. That means that more than 50,000 families had lost their homes.

Nearly 6,000 persons - predominantly young men known as "liquidators," have died as the result of their exposure to radiation. Regrettably, we do not know the exact figure of those who died as a result of radiation-related causes.

In Ukraine we have come across an unnatural phenomenon - contradictory to common sense and natural instinct - women even now, 10 years later, are afraid to give birth to children. Here we are dealing with the lasting consequences of the so-called "Chornobyl syndrome."

This is only the humanitarian side of the problem. There are environmental and technological aspects to be considered as well. Nearly 2,000 hectares of land are in the "exclusion zone," where the ruined reactor is located. Conditions in the zone are extreme: there are high concentrations of radioactive cesium, strontium, plutonium and other transuranic elements, over 800 temporary depositories of radioactive waste, and large areas of woodland and fields no longer suitable for cultivation where fires are frequent.

All the rivers and streams in these marshy areas flow through contaminated land in Belarus and Russia into Ukraine, threatening to carry fallout from the Chornobyl cloud into the Dnipro River. I would add, for your information, that water from the Dnipro is used by over 30 million inhabitants of Ukraine.

The problem of liquidating the consequences of Chornobyl, mitigating its negative effects and normalizing the lives of the people of Ukraine - first of all of those who were directly affected by the disaster -are among the priorities of the Ukrainian government.

In my opinion, the Ukrainian government faces three major issues:

First: to meet the socio-economic challenge of Chornobyl. Annually, Chornobyl costs Ukraine 12 percent of its state budget. The bulk of this money is directed toward the social needs of those who suffered during the catastrophe.

It is understandable that spending in this sphere cannot be cut for both humanitarian and political reasons. In this context, we must count on the international community. As more Ukrainian goods and services are given access to the world market, profits to the Ukrainian state increase and more attention can be paid to the victims of Chornobyl.

Second: to minimize the sufferings of those who were directly affected by the Chornobyl disaster - first of all, the children.

It is with great gratitude that the people of Ukraine accept the kind support and generous assistance given by the international community. It would take me hours, and probably days, to name those states, public organizations and private persons all over the world who have felt our pain and have come to help in critical moments. But I have a moral obligation to thank the governments and NGOs of the United States, Cuba, Germany and Japan, whose sincere assistance in alleviating the consequences of our tragedy can hardly be overestimated.

By helping Ukrainian physicians cope with deadly diseases, our friends worldwide help us to guarantee the future of the people of Ukraine who face the serious problem of preserving their very existence. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the real danger of Chornobyl has not lessened, notwithstanding the fact that 10 years have already passed since the tragedy.

Chornobyl is not in the past. Chornobyl lives with us today. Chornobyl is in our future. Its danger will follow us for many years. It is possible to heal the wounds of war in several years. But it is impossible to determine the exact amount of time it will take us to overcome the deadly effects of residual radiation from Chornobyl on the population and environment of Ukraine.

Third: to guarantee a safe and clean environment for future generations of, not only Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians, but also of other European nations. To this end, we should resolve the issues of liquidating or sealing the power plant's destroyed block and of disposing of radioactive waste. Unfortunately, Ukraine has neither the financial nor the material resources to do this alone. In this context, my government has suggested the establishment of an International Scientific and Technological Center for Nuclear and Radiological Accidents to enhance the capabilities of the international community to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of such accidents.

The principal goal of this center is to concentrate the efforts and consolidate the potential of world science in establishing approaches, technologies and recommendations aimed at preventing accidents and effectively mitigating the consequences of nuclear catastrophes.

In Chornobyl scientists would have an opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge on a practical footing and to obtain priceless experience in dealing with nuclear accidents. My government is grateful to the states and organizations that have answered its appeal and are ready to do their best in resolving this critical issue.

We appreciate the contributions made by the member-states and organizations of the U.N. system in the fields of study, mitigation and minimization of the Chornobyl aftermath. Thanks to the United Nations, a number of projects and agreements regarding international cooperation in minimizing the Chornobyl disaster's effects are now being implemented in Ukraine.

We are grateful to the World Health Organization, which actively cooperates with bodies of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and the Academy of Medical Sciences in the field of management of the Chornobyl disaster's aftermath.

We attach great importance to the UNESCO Chornobyl Program, under which three centers for social and psychological rehabilitation of the population affected by the Chornobyl disaster have been established in Ukraine.

We are looking forward to the outcome of five projects implemented under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency, among which I would like to point out those connected with evaluating the impact of the "shelter" erected over the fourth reactor of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant on the environment, establishing a system of radiation control at milk-cannery industry facilities, and ensuring radiation safety of nuclear power engineering.

Responding to the concerns of the international community and striving to preserve future generations from the scourge of nuclear disaster, President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma has taken a political decision to decommission the Chornobyl NPP by the year 2000. In order to fulfill this decision, the full-fledged economic and technical assistance of developed countries is badly needed. We hope that the commitment undertaken by G-7 countries will be honored, because of the financial, technical and social problems Ukraine will be facing after the closure of the last Chornobyl reactor. Thus, the decommissioning of the Chornobyl plant by the year 2000 will mean the resolution of the major part of the West's political problems, while for Ukraine new problems will arise.

We hope that the international community is beginning to understand our problems. One of the signs that this is the case is the adoption by the 50th session of the U.N. General Assembly of the resolution on "Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster."

At the end of my opening remarks, I would like to pay tribute to the organizers and co-sponsors of this important conference which, heeding the words of the aforementioned U.N. General Assembly resolution, will "enhance public awareness of the consequences of such disasters for human health and the environment throughout the world" and thus will mobilize the efforts and potential of the international community in its attempt to overcome the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster.

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